RICHMOND, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The Governor's Cup Case has been announced and most of the winning wines are from the Central Virginia area.

According to a release, Governor Ralph Northam awarded the Virginia Wineries Association's 2020 Governor's Cup to 868 Estate Vineyards for its 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito.

The winner was revealed Tuesday evening at the annual Governor's Cup Celebration in Richmond.

"I am thrilled to award the Governor's Cup to Carl DiManno and congratulate the whole team at 868 Estate Vineyards on their sweet finish," said Northam. "The Vidal Blanc Passito embodies both the experimentation and artistry that has made Virginia the leading East Coast destination for wine. This year's Governor's Cup case is a strong reflection of our world-class wine industry and the distinctive wines being produced in our Commonwealth."

All of the wines in this annual competition must be made from 100 percent Virginia fruit.

The release says this year's winner represents the first time one was made entirely from fruit grown in Loudoun County.

The Vidal Blanc Passito was produced by the Italian 'appassimento' technique through which the grapes are partially dried to concentrate their flavor and then the winemaker halts the fermentation early to retain natural grape sugars in the final product.

There are 11 other wines in the 2020 Governor's Cup Case:

Afton Mountain Vineyards Tradition (2017)
Barboursville Vineyards Octagon (2014)
Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve (2018)
Delaplane Cellars Williams Gap (2017)
Lake Anna Winery Tannat (2017)
Michael Shaps Wineworks Meritage (2016)
Pippin Hill Vineyards Petit Verdot (2017)
Pollak Vineyards Cabernet Franc Reserve (2017)
Pollak Vineyards Smuggler (2017)
Rockbridge Vineyard Vd’Or (2017)
Shenandoah Vineyards Shenandoah Reserve Red (2017)

 

More than 530 wines were submitted for the competition, and 19 judges sampled them over a four-week period and awarded gold medals to wines scoring 90 points or higher.

The case contains eight wines from the Monticello American Viticultural Area while Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah both have two each.

The release adds the Virginia Wineries Association also announced its Industry Awards on Tuesday, which are presented to industry members who show excellence in their craft and act as advocates for Virginia wine.

The Virginia Wine Person of the Year is Justin Rose of Rosemont Winery, while the David King Advocate of the Year is George Hodson of Veritas Vineyards and Winery as well as the president of the Monticello Wine Trail, and the Gordon Murchie Lifetime Achievement Award went to Randy Phillips of Cave Ridge Vineyard and Winery.

This is the 38th year for the Governor's Cup competition, which is a partnership involving the Virginia Wine Board, the Virginia Vineyards Association and the Virginia Wineries Association.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation says more than 2.2 million tourists visited wineries in the Commonwealth in 2015. Now, the wine industry generates $1.37 billion in economic impact and supports more than 8,200 jobs.

Virginia is in the top six states in the United States for the number of wineries and its wine grape production.

To view the full list of wines in the 2020 Governor's Cup, click here.